Search Here

Veteran actor Kamal Haasan on Wednesday launched his political party and the party Flag at Othakadai in Madurai among a sea of supporters. Haasan’s party is named Makkal Needhi Maiam which in Tamil means ‘Centre for People’s justice’.
Kamal Haasan hoisted and unveiled the party flag -three in red and three in white - joined together around a star on a white background.
Haasan was joined by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leader and former Delhi Minister Somnath Bharti who is the...

Weddings never fail in providing ladies with a chance to pamper themselves and get all decked up in pretty dresses to flaunt among their family and friends. With every girl going for dark colours lately, Bollywood beauties defied the trends and nailed white outfits at Mohit Marwah's wedding.
A post shared by Manish Malhotra (@manishmalhotra05) on Feb 20, 2018 at 8:56pm PST
Created by ace designer Manish Malhotra, Karisma Kapoor, Khushi Kapoor and Kiara Advani were looking...

Marvel's latest presentation 'Black Panther' is breaking box-office records all around the globe with the grown-up superhero action and earth-shattering entertainment. However, the Indian Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) couldn't refrain themselves from adding an unnecessary beep to the Ryan Coogler directorial.
If reports are to be believed, Censor Board has bleeped the "Glory to Hanuman!" statement uttered by Black Panther's rival M'Baku during his tribal pray. While the mention of an...

Out of 53,000 cyber attacks in India, 40% of them were focused on the financial sector in 2017. This statistic puts us in the seventh spot in the list of targeted countries in Web Application Attacks, according to a report from Akamai Technologies.
Phishing, website intrusions and defacements, virus and ransomware were some of the security incidents targeted the Banking, Financial services and Insurances (BFSI) sector in India.
Akamai Technologies, who made this report, claimed the key motive of...

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina advised India not to worry about Dhaka’s growing ties with China. Interacting with a delegation of visiting Indian journalists at her official residence on Tuesday, she said Bangladesh's relations with Beijing are being extended only for the development of the country.
“I will rather suggest India should have good relations with its neighbours, including Bangladesh, so this region could be developed further and we can show the world that we all work together,”...

The Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju, on Wednesday, said he expects the divestment process of public carrier Air India to be completed within a year. "We hope that by the end of the year we will be able to finish the divestments," the minister said, adding: "Government has given us Air India specific alternate mechanism (for disinvestment)... which is headed by the Finance Minister. I am also a member of it to guide the whole process." On February 2, Minister of State for Civil...

The Deadly Mercury In Our Fish

Pregnant women are told to abstain from high mercury fish - mackerel, shark, swordfish, tuna - as it inhibits the development of the nervous system of an unborn child.

Mercury is a pollutant that can be toxic to the human nervous systems. When mercury is released into the atmosphere, it easily dissolves in fresh water and seawater. Fish and other aquatic animals ingest the mercury, and it is then passed along the food chain until it reaches humans. A type of mercury called methylmercury is most easily accumulated in the body and is particularly dangerous. About 80 to 90 percent of organic mercury in a human body comes from eating fish and shellfish, according to a paper published by the Journal of Preventative Medicine and Public Health.

Popular food fads and umpteen dos and donts related to food can leave us confused. For most foods, we can find a solid case reasoning why it is great for you as much as why it can be harmful. Fish is one such favourite subject for food enthusiasts who love to both canonize it or demonize it. Of course a diet of fish is a good source of high quality protein while being low in saturated fat. It is also an excellent source of Vitamin D and Omega-3. The fat-soluble vitamin D is a nutrient that most people are deficient in. Omega-3 are fatty acids crucial for our body and brain to function optimally. Yet the effect of regular, low doses of methylmercury that is contained in some fish more than in others, andthat causes a wide range of conditions including neurological and chromosomal problems, is less understood.

Here are a few reasons why we are not wary of mercury poisoning in our fish:

First, there are stark and rather ironic contradictions between the benefit of fish versus the adverse effect of mercury contained in it. For example, on one hand Omega-3 helps in brain development whereas on the other hand mercury hinders it. Another example is that heart diseases increases with mercury exposure, while fish oils may reduce the risk of cardiac death.

Second, defining the amount of fish we should eat to avoid harm is complicated because methylmercury affects each one of us differently depending on our weight, age and genetics.

Third, fresh fish bought from the market do not carry a nutrition content label. There is therefore little way to find out the mercury levels of the fish we eat!

And so, a fair verdict on fish is this: Pregnant or not the best solution is to completely abstain from high mercury fish. Instead eat fish that are low in the food chain such as salmon, sardines, trout, regularly, but each time in limited quantities amounting to say 350 grams a week. This is the best way to enjoy the benefits of fish, while keeping your body low on toxic mercury.